The Saint Louis University Athletic Training Program in the Doisy College of Health Sciences is a graduate professional program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education. In accordance with the Jesuit mission, which recognizes the dignity of all persons, the program seeks to develop competent practitioners who act for the good of the public, recognize the value of interprofessional practice, and who seek opportunities to serve the disadvantaged.

June 30, 2012

The capital of Spain and land of Iberian ham, the
best footballers (no, not “American football” as they call it in Spain) in the
world, arguably the best metro system in the world, the Prado Art Museum, the
largest university in Spain, and bullfighting; Madrid is also home to Clínica
MEDYR – my summer internship location.

Clínica MEDYR – short for Medecina Deportiva y Rehabilitación (Sports Medicine and
Rehabilitation) – is located near the center of the city of Madrid. It is only
about a fifteen-minute walk or one metro stop away from the Santiago
Bernabéu Stadium – home of the Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. Doctor Carlos
González de Vega San Román, MD, PhD, SpMD, the medical director and coordinator
of MEDYR, is also serving as my clinical instructor for the summer.

Formally specializing in internal medicine,
Dr. González de Vega’s current focus is in physical education and sport
medicine. He has practiced in Toronto, Canada as well as at Victoria Sports
Medicine Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Now at MEDYR, he particularly
specializes in shoulder and spine injuries – both chronic and acute as he also
has experience with sport traumatology. Additionally, Dr. González de Vega is able to play a role in
the rehabilitative stage of patients’ treatments by doing mobilizations in the
shoulder joint which help increase the tone of patients’ musculature as they
take steps back to a more normal, healthy lifestyle.

Dr. González de Vega and SLU AT Student Adriana Black at Clinica MEDYR in Madrid, Spain

Despite
Dr. González de Vega’s extensive international
experience, the most beneficial quality he possesses as a healthcare
professional is his innate ability to teach. Being able to share and educate
others on his previous work experiences and his routine medical assessments is
worth the most to me as a student – particularly in this phase of the program.
I have been taking copious notes and asking Dr. González de Vega dozens of questions each
day to verify that he and I are on the same page when he does an examination
and gives a diagnosis and to ensure I always leave the clinic having grown as a
student and clinician. He is always eager to help in any way and encourages me
to question everything that he does in hopes of further enriching my future as
a healthcare provider.

I am very excited that I will have the opportunity to be working on some
projects specific to the shoulder region – both research and clinically related
under the guidance of Dr. González
de Vega. In addition to clinical evaluations, I will also get the chance to have
more hands-on experiences with the “fisios,” as they are called in Spain, who
are responsible for walking the patients through each step of the
rehabilitative process. I
very much look forward to continue to “shadow” Dr. González de Vega on his daily clinical
examinations and therapies and seeing what else develops from my internship at Clínica
MEDYR.

Students in the Saint Louis University Athletic Training Education
Program have a required internship in the summer between their two
professional years in the program. This blog post details a
student's reflection on their internship experience.

Saint Louis University's Athletic Training faculty, staff and students had a great week as St. Louis hosted the National Athletic Trainers' Association Annual Meeting and Symposium from June 26-29, 2012. In addition to enjoying a week of professional development and fellowship they served as speakers, learning lab instructors, moderators and volunteers for the events. Some of the students also worked at the trade show where exhibitors needed extra help at their booths. Highlights of the week included faculty member Kitty Newsham Phd, ATC receiving an Athletic Training Service Award and SLU Athletic Training Student Bridget Quirk receiving a NATA Foundation Scholarship. The SLU AT Program worked with the Doisy College Alumni Association to host a well attended Alumni Reception at The Dubliner.

June 24, 2012

Many people are
unsure of what TRX bands are used for in a gym. TRX stands for Total Body
Resistance Exercise. The bands utilize the entire body by way of suspension to
provide resistance. Most people see these intimidating bands hanging from a
power rack and think that they must only be used by gymnasts or other athletes
that require plenty of upper body strength. The truth is, they are great for
athletes, and however, they also offer a great deal of benefit for those in
rehab or who just want to maintain or improve their current fitness level. This
style of resistance training offers many different benefits. Suspension type
training allows for multi-planar movements that will develop strength,
flexibility, balance and joint stability. TRX will also place a great deal of
stress on the core muscles, which most can benefit from having a stronger core.
TRX bands allow for an endless number of different exercises to be performed.
This will help keep workouts feeling new and fun so you look forward to your
workouts and continue reaching your fitness goals.

At AthletiCo,
the TRX bands are used primarily by clientele seeking personal training.
However, I have seen many patients in physical therapy that have utilized the
TRX bands towards the end of their rehab process. Having such a versatile piece
of equipment around has helped many of the clients and patients at AthletiCo
achieve their goals in a timely and efficient manner. Since one of our goals as
a health care professional is to improve patient outcomes, TRX seems like a
sound investment.

(Vince DiRenzo's internship this summer is with AthletiCo's John Honcharuk ATC, CSCS at their St. Charles, Illinois facility.)

Students in the Saint Louis University Athletic Training Education
Program have a required internship in the summer between their two
professional years in the program. This blog post details a
student's reflection on their internship experience.

June 21, 2012

The National Athletic Trainers' Association Annual Meeting comes to America's Center in St. Louis on June 26-29, 2012 and the Saint Louis University Athletic Training Education Program is playing an active role in the program and activities! SLU faculty, student, alums and advisory board members are all playing roles in the meeting. Here is a summary of the program activities at the NATA meeting:

June 18, 2012

Students in the Saint Louis University Athletic Training Education
Program have a required internship in the summer between their two
professional years in the program. The following blog post details a
student's reflection on their internship experience.

My name is
Ryan Vallo and I am a Master of Athletic Training student at Saint Louis
University. This summer, I am
completing an athletic training internship with the St. Louis Rams’
organization. As an athletic training
intern with a professional sports team, there are high expectations and I feel
blessed to receive this opportunity. In
this position, I will assist in preparing the field for daily practices,
prophylactic taping of players before practice, and assisting with
rehabilitation. Most importantly, I see
this as a learning opportunity where I can gain hands on experience at an elite
level where complete healthcare is provided.

SLU AT Student Ryan Vallo on the practice field at Rams Park in Earth City, MO.

The Rams’
currently have four full time certified athletic trainers and a year long
athletic training intern. This gives me
the opportunity to interact with five other professionals in my field and
utilize their knowledge and experiences.
Thus far, I have assisted with two mini camps and a few organized team
activities (OTA). Next week we have our
final veteran and rookie mini camp. I
will be reporting to training camp July 23rd and will continue with the team
through the end of preseason (August 30th).
I look forward to working with and learning from the athletic training
staff of the St. Louis Rams. I hope to
leave a lasting impression on them and represent myself, Saint Louis
University, and the athletic training profession in a positive fashion.

June 16, 2012

Students in the Saint Louis University Athletic Training Education Program have a required internship in the summer between their two professional years in the program. The following blog post details a student's reflection on their internship experience.

My internship is with
Nutriformance this summer. It is a small business and work out center, owned by
Ellie and Dale Huff. They have a large and varied fitness team which includes:
dieticians, physical therapists, athletic trainers, personal trainers, strength
and conditioning coaches, and massage therapists. I have the opportunity to
work with Heidi Frey, MA, ATC, CSCS. She is my clinical instructor for the
summer. I am also working with one of my fellow classmates, Hilary Orf. The three of us meet once a week to lay out a
plan for the week.

Back row:
Nutriformance employees Randy Leopando and Heidi Frey

Front row: SLU AT students Katie Schneebeck and Hilary Orf

Our weeks involve: observing speed and agility classes and
pulling athletes out that need extra coaching, following the progression of
clients who work with ATs and PTs, taking part in group fitness classes,
leading dynamic warm-ups and post-stretches, and getting to know each of the
clients who walk through Nutriformance’s doors.
What sets Nutriformance apart from other fitness centers is that it has
a Cheers kind of feeling, “where
everybody knows your name.” It is very much like a family here at Nutriformance,
and I’m excited to see what the future holds for us this summer. To pass the
time, I’m working with Hilary on a presentation for a Nutriformance team meeting
on ACL prevention programs. We are also working on creating our own work out
circuits, based on our weaknesses and fitness goals as well.

One of the more unique aspects of this internship is being
able to perform tests on Hilary and myself. While at Nutriformance, we will
have the opportunity to have our resting metabolic rate taken using a Korr
Metabolic Rate Analysis machine (in the photo), our VO2MAX tested, a
digital video analysis of our running mechanics taken, and a personal nutrition
session to discuss our nutritional status.

I feel very much at home at Nutriformance. This experience
is opening my mind to a different side of rehabilitation, maintenance, and
strength and agility programs. I’m happy to have this opportunity to meet some
of the most encouraging people and be inspired by their constant flow of ideas
as a team.

The week of June 7-10, 2012 was a busy one on the Saint Louis University campus and the SLU Athletic Training faculty, staff and students were mobilized to participate in the events!

The top men's and women's gymnasts in the USA competed in the VISA Championships at Chaifetz Arena to determine who goes on to the US Olympic Trials. Local coverage for the event was sponsored by SLUCare and coverage was coordinated by SLU Head Athletic Trainer Jonathan Burch. SLU Sports Medicine physicians and SLU AT faculty, staff and students worked with the USA Gymnastics Sports Medicine team to provide coverage for the event.

For the 13th straight year, Nike has hosted the top 100 high school freshman and sophomore boy's basketball players in the Simon Recreation Center at SLU. Over the years, this camp has included many future college and NBA players and the SLU AT Program provided medical coverage for the event. SLU AT Program Director Tony Breitbach served as the Medical Coordinator for the event.

June 03, 2012

Dr. Anthony Breitbach, Director of the Athletic Training Education Program at Saint Louis University, was presented with the Glenn L. McElroy MD Distinguished Service Award by the Missouri Athletic Trainers Association at the MoATA Annual Meeting at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, MO on June 2, 2012.

Dr. Breitbach making remarks at the MoATA Awards Luncheon.

Dr. Breitbach was the 2011 recipient of the award, but was unable to attend that ceremony, so he was presented the award in 2012 along with the 2012 MoATA award recipients. Stefanie West (Columbia) was honored as the 2012 McElroy Award winner and Michelle Padgett (St. Louis) was honored as the 2012 Missouri Athletic Trainer of the Year.